


Going Shopping

by AngeliaDark



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Butchering, Cannibalism, HorrorTale, HorrorTale Sans, Horrortale Papyrus, Insanity, Starvation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-28 15:58:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12610244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngeliaDark/pseuds/AngeliaDark
Summary: Brother has been working so hard lately.  He deserves a treat!  A nice…fresh…handmade meal should be just the thing.





	Going Shopping

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be one of my Octobertale pledges, but I was unfortunately ill for most of the month. Better late than never!

A super-special shout-out to redtomatofan for [THIS AMAZING ART](http://redtomatofan.tumblr.com/post/167058699771/more-a-short-explanation-to-this-whole-thingy#) and inspiring me to do some more Horrortale!  You're the best!

* * *

 

 

It was especially quiet today, Papyrus mused to himself as he strolled down the dark, worn path of Snowdin's road.  Then again, it was Sunday, and Sundays were generally quiet anyway.  Still, for it to be so quiet, he wondered if he had forgotten a sleep-in holiday in his haste to make it through his rounds of Snowdin.

No, that couldn't be right.  Sans had gotten up early to go to work; if today was a holiday the lazybones would have slept in along with most of Snowdin.  

Then again, he thought as he slowed his pace to the next house, Sans HAD been out and about more frequently lately.  Leaving earlier, coming home later, always seeming more tired by the day...his work ethic had certainly improved, even if his appetite hadn't.  

Papyrus looked down at the small bowl of spaghetti in his hands; it was still mostly full since the only ones to answer the door had been Rabbit family and the little Monster Kid.  They were ALWAYS happy to see food come their way and it warmed his soul to see them fed, even if Prissy's little Rabbit brother had been absent today and Prissy said he didn't need any.  Strange.  There was still a stop to the Dogs further back in the woods where they seemed to remain, even if they all looked too cold in the snow, and then.....

....well, and then there would be no more spaghetti left for Sans.

A frown crept into Papyrus's smile as he slowed his pace, thinking of his big brother.  Sans was eating less and less and staying out later and later.  Even by Papyrus's great standards of work ethic, that was a bit much.  And as much as he was proud of Sans going out and being productive, it would do no good if Sans was hungry the whole time.

His step faltered slightly at that word - 'hungry'.  It was such an unpleasant word, an unpleasant FEELING.  He could almost remember bad dreams of being so hungry, like he would waste away into nothing at any moment and would do ANYTHING......ANYTHING......for a mouthful of SOMETHING.  He almost shuddered.  Terrible thing to dream about, really.

But still...

He looked down at the bowl of spaghetti, a gnawing twist clenching at his soul as he stared at it.  Deftly, he felt a thin trail of saliva drip over his mandible and quickly wiped it away, turning his eyelights back to the path.  He had to feed the Dogs, he told himself firmly.  The less fortunate must eat first.  And then he would eat what was left.  There were many others not as fortunate as he, and he had a duty to help them.

So he quelled down those selfish HUNGRY feelings.  They were unimportant.  Insignificant.  Nothing.

Nothing at all.

* * *

 

Papyrus silently trekked back toward Snowdin, clutching the empty bowl to his thin rib cage as a shudder quivered through his bones.  The wind was picking up in preparation for another snowfall and the chill was digging into his frame.  His steps felt heavier and more sluggish in the snow, matching perfectly with his mental state.  His sense of direction was disoriented as the distracting gnawing on his soul became too strong to ignore.

He paused to rest against a tree, leaning against it tiredly as he looked down at the bowl.  There was nothing left, none for him, OR for Sans.

Oh, if only there were extras stored in the fridge back home!  A nice dinner with his brother would be just the thing to warm the bones on a day like this, but now there was nothing. 

The gnawing twisted hard, almost painfully, and Papyrus couldn't help the moisture that collected at his eye sockets.  He reached up and wiped at them, sniffling softly.  How could he have neglected his brother at a time like this, and after everything he'd done for them?  Sans deserved something special, not to come home to NOTHING!

Papyrus dropped the bowl, wiping at his eye sockets to dry them, then paused when he smelled something.

Something GOOD.

Saliva threaded from between his teeth again at the wonderful, delicious scent as he sniffed the air, searching for the source of it and saw a flicker of movement through the trees.  Peering around silently, Papyrus's eyelights glimmered when he saw it. 

A HUMAN.

Some time ago, he'd be so enthusiastic about capturing them and taking them to the Capitol, but that was THEN.  NOW, Sans explained it perfectly.

Humans were an EXCELLENT source of meat.

Naturally, he'd been skeptical; humans were not meant for eating, were they?  After all, the small human that passed by long ago didn't seem to be the type for eating.  But Sans told him that humans were beasts, no different than cows or birds that went into other forms of food.  It was just propaganda that humans were on par with Monster intelligence, and caricatured like in the cartoons to be sentient enough for it to be considered cannibalism to eat.  The noises they made were just clever mimicry of speech to avoid being killed, but cattle was cattle, in the end.

This human was much bigger than the one that fell down here before, almost as tall as Papyrus's shoulders.  Big, full, healthy-looking...and smelled absolutely DIVINE.  Oh, he could just IMAGINE what it would be like once cooked! 

Papyrus almost jumped in place and clapped his hands with glee; here was the meal he had been wanting to feed his brother!  Wouldn't Sans just be so surprised to come home to a fresh, filling dinner!  Well, there was no sense in letting the dogs get greedy after having been fed, Papyrus thought to himself as he conjured a bone into his hand and slipped silently through the trees toward the human.

* * *

 

It was rare that he got to do this, Papyrus thought to himself as he sorted out different buckets.  Usually it was Sans who went out and procured fresh meat when it became available, but Papyrus was no stranger as to how 'meat' was made.

He'd walked in on Sans separating out the bits and pieces long ago, and while the sight had been slightly jarring, he came to understand the necessity.  He couldn't deny that the end result was more than satisfactory in the end as well.  As long as he could get through the noise and the mess, the rest was smooth sailing.

And oh, how it WAS messy.  And loud.  But he remedied at least one of those issues.

Papyrus picked up a handsaw and turned to the human, who was tied down to a table with a cloth stuffed into its mouth to muffle the uncouth shouting that Papyrus knew would no doubt irritate his hearing.  He would have preferred to make the human stop moving entirely, but Sans told him the longer they were up and kicking (so to speak), the fresher and better-tasting the meat would be.  So naturally, he would begin from the extremities and work his way in.

The human was jerking in its binds, staring with wide eyes as it attempted to shout through the gag.  Amazing, Papyrus thought, how it tried to imitate speech like a Monster.  He'd be inclined to keep one for a pet one day, but not one of these big ones.  The smaller ones were much more well-behaved.  The bigger ones were much better for food.

Papyrus hummed to himself as he prodded the human's abdominal cavity, feeling a shudder roll over his bones when he felt the promising nudge of viscera under the skin.  Those bits made some fantastic meatballs, while the general meat was better for freezing and saving for later.  The very thought of having their fridge full once more had saliva threading down his mandible, but he had to save those for last.  They were best when warm, after all.

He cheerfully wasted no time then in grasping the left thigh of the human and pressing the handsaw in, getting right to work.

Immediately the mess started, but Papyrus was prepared.  Several buckets were around the table to prevent the mess from getting everywhere on the floor, and Papyrus would use it as some lovely marinade sauce later down the line.  The human hollered and jerked around harder on the table, but Papyrus held tight, sawing through the bone until the first leg became detached. 

It was very firm and meaty, Grade A quality!  Sure to be very nutritious and filling.  He deposited the leg into one of the buckets nearby and then turned his attention to the other, giving it the same treatment.

The whole time, the human screamed through the gag and Papyrus was glad he thought to put it in while it was still unconscious.  The noise would have surely been unbearable by this point.  He finished with the limbs, depositing them into the bucket before picking up one of the butcher knives that Sans kept sharpened and tracing a shallow line over the abdomen.  The human was starting to go quiet and still, and Papyrus knew that while he appreciated the silence, he had to work faster now.  Meat was less appetizing and savory when it got cold.

He always marveled at just how MUCH humans had inside of them!  Handfuls and handfuls of organs that he knew the names of thanks to a book in his room, and recipes for all of them stored by memory.  He set the knife aside and began shifting the organs into a bucket and making a mental note of the different recipes he could cook tonight, tomorrow, all WEEK!

As the abdominal cavity was emptied, Papyrus was unable to ignore the raw, gnawing HUNGER that wrenched at his soul, begging to be satiated.  Saliva trickled down his mandible as he contemplated the organs, thinking that he deserved a treat for his good deeds today.  He reached his hand into the gored cavity, enclosing it around the last of the organs -the heart, he knew- and pulled it out.

It looked so sweet and appetizing, like the juiciest apple on the tree.  The perfect little treat for himself.  His jaws parted as he bit into the organ, and the indescribable taste filled his mouth.

Simply

Indescribable.

He cupped the heart in his hands, tearing into it ravenously until it was devoured entirely.

The hunger quelled in his soul ever so slightly, but it was enough for now.  It was ENOUGH.

Papyrus buried his skull in his blood-soaked hands and wept.

* * *

 

Sans kicked the snow from his shoes as he stepped onto his porch.  Another day, another head dog stand, another evening coming home empty-handed.  It was beginning to become a thing now, for Monsters nearby to eat their own rather than let him have them.  Prissy's little brother was gone, no doubt having been eaten by the other Rabbits after becoming too weak to be of use to even feed anymore. 

A shame; Rabbits were his favorite neighbors to bring home for dinner.

He scowled to himself.  He hated coming home empty-handed after nearly a week without food, and if that frozen pile of spaghetti he passed on the way home were any indication, Papyrus already gave the last of what they had away.  His little brother's bones were becoming thinner by the day, that once-tall, proud frame becoming hunched and grotesque as this wretched curse spread over the Underground.  Some days, he almost wished Papyrus would notice so they could go out and feed TOGETHER...but in a Hell like this, ignorance was the only kindness left for Papyrus to have.

Sans sighed, brushing snow from the edge of his broken skull before walking inside.

Immediately, the nauseatingly-savory scent of food plunged into his nasal cavity, almost knocking him senseless.  Had he died at last and achieved a blessed afterlife?  He shook his head; no need to go even madder than he already was.  But the smell was still there, which meant it was REAL.

"Papyrus?" he called in.  From the kitchen came the clatter of dishes and the sound of his brother's humming.

"Oh, Sans, you're home!" came Papyrus's chirpy response, and his brother walked out of the kitchen, wearing a stained pink 'Kiss the Chef' apron and baking mitts.  "Dinner is almost ready!"

Sans almost swayed in place; dinner?  "Dinner?" he echoed from his thoughts.  "You have...dinner?" 

Papyrus squealed, clapping his gloved hands.  "Surprise!" he crooned, hopping in place.  "I was out doing my rounds, and I found a HUMAN!  A BIG one!"  The spark of pure joy glistened in his shrunken eye sockets in a way that warmed Sans's soul.  "I caught it and made something special for dinner, just for you!" 

His demeanor settled softly.  "You've been working so hard, Sans, and this is just the thing you deserve for all your efforts!"

Sans felt his mandible quiver and his eye sockets moisten.  By the gods, was his brother just...just the COOLEST.  "Yer the best, Paps..." he murmured, wiping at his eye sockets with the back of his sleeve.  "I don't know what I did to deserve ya."

Papyrus beamed, giving his brother a pat on the shoulder.  "Nonsense Sans, you're just lucky is all!" he replied.  Now come sit down and eat!"  He flounced back into the kitchen as Sans sat down, the elder brother trying to quell the urge to tear into the kitchen and stuff his face with any and everything he found, and waited for Papyrus to bring him his meal.

A whole baked liver garnished with tongue strips.

His favorite.


End file.
